It is the championship week of fantasy football, and this is for all the marbles. Here are five defenses to consider starting in your fantasy leagues, if you’re lucky enough to still be playing.
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CAL
Colorado has lost six games in a row, scored seven points in each of its last two losses and fired coach Mike MacIntyre this week. The Buffaloes are not going in the right direction and while they’re fighting for a bowl big this weekend I’m still expecting a low-scoring game. Cal is giving up just 21.1 points per outing and held USC to 14 points two weeks ago. After having the Stanford game postponed, the Golden Bears are fresh and being owned at only three percent in fantasy leagues, you could be getting a steal on defense this weekend. With the over/under line set at 43 points, not a lot of scoring should happen.
FLORIDA
I just cannot figure out any scenario where Florida State scores a lot of points in this game. The Seminoles have limited success running the ball, they can move it through the air but Florida’s secondary is very talented. FSU is averaging just 22.6 points per game but this is not an explosive offense and it has been involved in a lot of low-scoring games this season. The Gators have the seventh-best defense nationally when it comes to fantasy points and I think the line at 53 points is a bit too high. Owned in only 45 percent of leagues, Florida could be another great pickup this weekend.
IOWA STATE
Everything is shaping up perfectly for the Cyclones this weekend. Owned in only six percent of leagues, Iowa State should definitely be available against a Kansas State offense that has really hit the skids recently - 14 points against Oklahoma, 13 against TCU and in wins over Kansas and Texas Tech, the Wildcats only scored 21 points each time. Now they have to go to Iowa State for the regular-season finale against a quality defense. The over/under is set at 40.5 so this should be a low-scoring, defensive battle. Perfect for fantasy football.
KENTUCKY
What could Louisville possibly have left in the tank especially after eight-straight losses and many of them blowouts which led to the firing of coach Bobby Petrino? This is a rivalry game but that also means Kentucky will be focused on possibly laying a big number on the Cardinals and how much fight could they have after such a miserable season? Kentucky’s defense is allowing just 16.8 points per game so I highly doubt Louisville will have much success moving the football.
MICHIGAN STATE
This one is just too easy. Rutgers scored seven points against Penn State last weekend and the Nittany Lions looked like they were giving minimal effort in that matchup. The Scarlet Knights have scored just seven in their last two losses and they haven’t scored more than 17 points in any of their 10-straight losses. That’s why Michigan State is favored by 27 points with an over/under line of only 37 this weekend. If you can grab the Spartans' defense, it could be the best bet of the weekend.
